Folding door.



No. 755,551. I PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904;

-- W. RICHARDSON.

FOLDING DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1903. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. 29 A7 la"/4 I 15 gm 1 1 l .I i

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No. 755,551. PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904.

W. RICHARDSON. FOLDING DOOR.

- APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1903. N0 MODEL. Q

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- 7 79 I A6 l3 PATENTBD MAR. 22, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

0 w s m fir ll all W h 1 1 :Pa 1 9 9 UNITED STATES Patented March. 22,1904.

PATENT FFICE.

I WHEELER RICHARDSON, OF ELIZABETHTON, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF.

TlVO-THIRDS TO NAPOLEON L. MURRELL AND EDWIN C. ALEXAN- DER, OFELIZABETHTON, TENNESSEE.

FOLDING DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,551, dated. March22, 1904:.

Application filed July 27,1903. Serial No- 167,184. on) model.)

To all w/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, WHEELER RICHARDSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Elizabethton, in the county of Carter and State ofTennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FoldingDoors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to folding doors intended for use whereverthis class of doors might be found desirable, and the invention isparticularly adapted for use upon railwaycars.

Among the objects in view is to provide a construction of folding dooradapted to be readily operated and which is of simple and inexpensiveconstruction; and the invention consists in bination of parts, ashereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and pointedout in the appended claims.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portionof a railway-car, showing my invention combined therewith, the doorbeing in its closed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the doorpartly open. Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 1 1 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4C is a plan View of the parts when in the position seen inFig. 2. Fig. 5 is arear elevation of the parts seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 isa front elevation showing the door in its fully-opened position. Fig. 7is a plan view of the parts seen in Fig. 6.

1 indicates a supporting structure with which my invention is intendedto be used. In the present instance I show this structure as being aportion of a railway-car, the same being provided with an opening 2,within which the sections of the folding door forming the subject of thepresent invention are adapted to be fitted.

My improved door comprisesfour sections or panels 3, 4, 5, and 6, thecombined width of the sections 8, 4, and 5 being equal to that of thesection 6. The section 3 is hinged at 7 to the side of the car and alsohinged to the section L at 8, while the section 6 is hinged at 9 to thesection 5. The sections 4: and 5 are spaced apart slightly to form arecess 10, and

said sectionst and 5 are connected rigidly together by cleats 11,secured to the rear faces of said sections.

Secured to the outer face ofthe panel 6, near the upper right-handcorner thereof, is a bracket or hanger 12, between the arms of which ismounted a grooved roller 13 which is adapted to travel upon the rod 14:,secured at its ends to the sides of the car above the opening 2 therein.This rod is adapted to serve as a guide for the roller to run upon whenthe door is opened or closed, and it is also adapted to serve as asupporting means for the door, the weight of the latter to aconsiderable extent coming upon the said rod, which thus relieves thehinges of the doorsections and enables the door to be more readilyopened and closed.

The supporting and guide rod is of the shape seen more clearly in Figs.2 and 7 and is so arranged that the right-hand end is in very closeproximity to the side of the car, while its opposite end is somewhatmore removed from the side of the car. This arrangement of the rod isnecessary, because when the door is being opened the panel 3 will swingupon its hinges 7, thus causing its edge adjacent to the section 4 toswing in the arc of a circle, thus carrying outwardly with it thesections 4 and 5 and the hinged edge of the section 6, and thesemovements of the door-sections necessarily cause the roller to travelfarther and farther away from the side of the car while the door ismoving from its closed to open position. The hanger for the roller isswiveled to enable it to turn during the opening and closing movementsof the door to thereby maintain the roller. in its proper rollingposition upon the rod. When in the closed position, the sections of thedoor are prevented from being pushed inwardly by locating a block orabutment 15, secured to the car at the upper edge of the opening 2, thisblock being positioned so that when the door is closed and the panels Land 5 rest against said block the various sections of the door will lieflush with the side of the car.

For preventing accidental opening of the door from the interior of thecar I provide a locking device adapted to lock the door in its closedposition. This locking device in the present instance comprises a rod16, confined within the recess by metal straps 17 se: cured to the outerface of the sections 4 and 5, and the ends of the rod 16 are bentrearwardly to form hooks 18, which are adapted to engage with loops orstaples 19, secured within the recess 20 in the side of the car at theupper and lower sides of the opening 2. The rod 16 is adapted to beoperated by means i of a handle 21, secured thereto about midway of itslength. The operating-handle is adapted to be received within a recess23, formed in the section 5 when the rod is in its locking position thatis to say, with the hooks thereof engaging the loops or staples 19. Whenit is desired to release the sections of the door to permit them to beopened, the handle is thrown to the left sufficiently to cause the hooksthereof to be disengaged from the loops or staples, and said handle isadapted to be received within a recess 25, formed in the section 4, whenthe rod is in its unlocked position. I 26 indicates metal ears or lugssecured to the section 5 at either side of the recess therein, andprovided with apertures through which a pin or bolt 27 may be insertedto prevent the operating-handle being accidentally operated to free thesections of the door. This pin or bolt is provided at one end with aneye 29 to adapt a holding-chain, for instance, to be attached thereto.The pin or bolt may be suspended from the section 6 by means of a chain30, as shown.

The sections 3 and 6 of the door are provided with bails 31 and 32,respectively, adapted to serve as handles for causing the sections to beoperated in the opening and closing movements of the door. The bail 31should be countersunk within the section 3 in order that when the dooris in the partially-open, or fully-open position seen in Figs. 2, 3, and7 the said bail will not interfere with the section 3 lying flat againstthe side of the car. The bail '32 may or may not be countersunk, asdesired. As will be seen in Fig.2, the door-sections may be operated toonly partially uncover the opening 2 in the carthat is to say, with thesection 3 lying flat against the side of the car, the sections 4 and 5lying against the section 3, and the section 6 uncovering onehalf of theopening 2 in the car. If, however, it should be desiredto fully uncoverthe opening 2, the bail 32 is pulled upon to cause the sections 4 and 5to lie flush against the side of the car and the section 6 lying thenagainst the said sections 4 and 5 and the section 3, as seen in Fig. 7,and in order to temporarily retain the door in the folded position seenin Fig. 7 with the opening 2 fully uncovered I provide a swinging latchpivoted upon a block 36, secured to the side of the car. This latch hasone. end heavier than the other, so that it gaged in rear by a cleat 38,secured to the side of the car at the edge of the opening 2 to make aclear joint, and 1 preferably provide the car upon its inner side with asomewhat similar cleat 39 for the edge of the section 6 to rest againstwhen in its closed position.

It will be readily understood that the arrangement of the parts might bereversed, so that the door instead of opening from the right toward theleft might be made to open from the left toward the right.

One ofthe advantages of the door is that it closes evenly with the car,while a further advantage is that it may be only partially opened, asseen in Fig. 2, when it is not desired to uncover more than one-half ofthe opening 2 in the car, or it may be fully opened, as seen in Fig. 6,to expose or 'uncover the opening 2 entirely.

What Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a supporting structure, of a folding doorcomprising sections or panels 3, 4, 5, 6, the combined width of thesections 3, 4, 5, being equal to that of section 6, the section 3 beinghinged to the side of the supporting structure and to the section 4, thesection 5 being hinged to the section 6, and said sections 4 and 5 beingsecured rigidly together, a roller carried by the section 6, and a rod14 shaped as described and secured to said supporting structure, andupon which rod the said roller is adapted to travel in the manner andfor the purpose specified.

2. The combination with a supporting structure, of a folding doorcomprising sections or panels 3, 4, 5, 6, the combined width of thesections 3, 4, 5, being equal to that of section 6, the section 3 beinghinged to the said supporting structure and to the section 4, the section 5 being hinged to the section 6, and said sections 4 and 5 beingsecured rigidly together, a roller carried by the section 6, a rod 14shaped as described and secured to the said supporting structure, andupon which rod the said roller is adapted to travel, and means adaptedto lock the sections when in their extended position against foldingmovement.

3. The combination with a supporting struc- I ture, of a folding doorcomprising sections 3, 4, 5, 6, the combined width of the sections 3, 4,5, being equal to that of section 6, the section 3 being hinged to theside of said supporting structure and to the section 4, and

section 5 being hinged to the section 6, and said sections 4 and 5 beingsecured rigidly together, but spaced apart so as to form a recessbetween them, a roller carried by section 6, a rod 14 shaped asdescribed and secured to .said supporting structure, and upon which rodthe said roller is adapted to travel, alockingrod rotatably mounted inthe recess between the sections 4 and 5 and provided with hooked ends,and loops or staples secured to the said supporting structure adapted tobe engaged by said hooked ends.

4:. The combination with a supporting structure, of afolding doorcomprising sections 3, 4,, 5, 6, the combined width of sections 3, 4:,5, being equal to that of section 6, the section 3 being hinged to thesaid supporting structure and to the section 4, the section 5 beinghinged to the section 6, and said sections 4 and 5 being rigidly securedtogether and being spaced apart to form a recess between them, a rollercarried by section 6, a rod 14 shaped as described and secured to saidsupporting structure and upon which rod the said roller is adapted totravel, a locking-rod rotatably arranged within the recess between thesections 4: and 5 and having hooked ends, loops or staples secured tothe supporting structure and adapted to be engaged by said hooked ends,and an operating-handle secured to the locking-rod and adapted to seatwithin the recess between the sections 4 and 5.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WHEELER RICHARDSON. Witnesses:

J. N. EDEN, J. R. FAIR.

